Automatic inking device for printing presses



Oct. 21 1924. v j 1,512,342 7 l A. L. LENGEL I AUTOMATIC 'INKING DEVICEFOR PRINTING PRESSES I I Patented Get. 21,1924.

ALBERT L. LENGEL, 0F BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC INKING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

Application filed December 29, 1922. Serial No. 609,694.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. LENGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bakersfield, in the county of Kern and State of California,have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Inking Devicesfor Printing Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to printing presses and more particularly toautomatic inking apparatus for printing presses.

' The present systems of ink supply are controlled at all times during apress run by adjustable impression screws ofone description or another,all having the same efiect of pressing on a steel blade, which in turncontrols the flow of ink presented to the doctor rollers which in turntransfers ink to inking surfaces. This flow of ink is necessarilyreadjusted every time the form is changed due to the difference in makeuof the forms, and to the unequal deman for ink on any form. Also thisadjustment must continue to be manipulatedwith varying speeds.

M object is to provide means that will set color automatically, in thata perfect film of'ink will be presentedto the char- 'acters to beprinted, such depth of film to be the color desired for successive ordiversified consecutive forms or plates, as beforehand determined and soset, and not he- -ingv again necessary of readjustment until such wearof roller surfaces or possible shrinkage or warping of vital parts makesa realignment of the fountain blade necessary, to produce the depth ofcolor desired for consecutive diversified" printing forms or plates.

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest in thefollowingspecification of an embodiment of the invention ilwherein- V Fi ure 1 isa diagrammatic view showing? the improved inking mechanism.

ig. 2 is a cross section ofan improved form. of fountain roller.

Ink fountains I are variablein width. as

are the presses. However, reinforcing posts are used to afford rigidityto the fountain cover, which in turn su ports the ink flow control bladeB, which is tightly bolted be.- tween fountain cover-and adjustmentscrew board, leaving such amount of blade exposed to insure a Springtension-effect, govthe accompanying drawings,

blade into contact desired, with a fountain roller. (Reinforcing postsmay be placed about twelve inches apart and adjustment screws about twoinches apart, the width of any fountain.)

1 is the fountain roller composed of rubber, vegetable composition, orany kindred substance affording a flexible surface 1 this roller to becast with a canvas, or like cloth substance covering, which presents anirregular surface, in that it has small pits on its-surface. These'smallpits serve to convey the desired film of ink to the prints ingcharacters, as ordained by the set of the fountain blade B, pressingdeeply into. them or passing over the top of them; the flexible surfaceof'the roller *p'ermitting' a perfect contact of ink and prin ingsurface. 2 is-the plate or form cylinder upon which is placed asufiicient amount of ink to produce the desired color. But the ink,being applied in small mounds, is preferably smoothed out to even thefilm, which is done smoothe the oversupply comes in contact with tfinishing form rollers 5, which received the further evens the film ofink'on the printing plates or forms, before coming in contact with the.paper or substance to be printed on, which passes between cylinders 2and 6. Preferably all inking surfaces are of different diameters namelycylinders 12 3+7, to prevent the sameidentical surfaces coining incontact consecutively, thus insuring a more uniform color. Also allrollers used except the fountain roller, are of the latest type andformula, at present accepted and used in the printing industry.-

The diagram indicates two impressions on" a printed product, showingversatility of arrangement, easily adapted to any desired pressarrangement, either commercial or newspaper, the diagram, however, isone of a posslble arrangement of paper press.

a unit of'a news- I Where it is necessary to set color after a press runis on the press, as is now the case, the advantages of being able to produce a. prefectlycolored product with the first impressions, thus savingconsiderable time in slow running until the color can be set, canreadily be seen, This improvement results in also improving theappearance of the product and saving of much waste and poorly printedproducts, and producing perfectly colored printing all through a run ofany length, whereas now the coloring must be continually touched up evenafter the press has been running for some time, due to the naturaltendency of present methods to gather dirt or surfaces, to intermittentinductionof ink, and to the lower ink level in the fountains as the runprogresses. Also, I accomplish a saving in man power, heretoforerequired to keep color set, and insure a perfect color efiect on allpages of a product, impossible to secure by hand setting.

Thus I have produced an inking system comprising an ink fountain, a softclothcovered roller in the fountain, a printing cylinder in contact withthe fountain roller, a transfer roller in contact with the cylinder,said cylinder rotating fro-m the foun-.

tain roller towards the transfer roller, a sun roller in contact withthe transfer roller, a plurality of distributing rollers in contact withthe sun roller, and a finishing roller in contact with the sun rollerand with the cylinder at the opposite side of the distributing rollerfrom the fountain roller, so that plenty of ink is applied to theprinting cyllnder by the fountain roller, the surplus gobs of ink takenfrom the printing cylinder by the transfer roller and worked upon thesun roller and carried back to the printing cylinder by the finisl1-'ing roller, all before the printing face reaches the impression roller.

Further embodiments, modifications and changes may be resorted to withinthe spirit of the invention as here claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. inking apparatus for printing presses comprising, in combination, aprinting io-rm, a fountain having a cloth faced fountain roller engagingsaid form, an impres sion member between which and the said form thesheet to be printed is run, and a system.- of ink distributing rollerscertain of which engage the form at a portion thereof after the de ositof ink thereon by the said fountain rol er and prior to the engagementby. the printing form of said impression member.

2. Inking apparatus for printing presses comprising, in combination, aprinting form, a fountain having a fountain roller engaging said form,an impression member between which and the said form the sheet atlasesto be printed is run, and a system of ink distributing rollers certainof which engage the form at a portion thereof after the deposit ofinkthereon by the said fountain roller and prior to the engagement bythe printing form of said impression member, said system including a sunroller and a plurality of rollers all engaging .the sun roller andcertain of which rollers engage the form 3. linking apparatus forprinting presses comprising, in combination, a printing form, an inkfountain having means for applying ink to said form, an impressionmember between which and the printing form the sheet to be printed isrun, a sun roller, and a system of rollers each havin contact with thesun roller and certain o which have contact with the form whereby inkapplied to the form from the fountain is transferred to the sun rollerand is smoothed out by the rollers engaging said sun roller and thefinished ink returned to the form.

4. In inking apparatus for printing presses comprising, in combination,a printing form, an ink fountain having means for applying ink to saidform, an impression member between which and the printing form the sheetto be printed is run, a sun roller, and a system of rollers each havingcontact with the sun roller and certain of which have contact with theform whereby ink applied to the form from the fountain is transferred tothe sun roller and issmoothed out by the rollers engaging said sunroller and returned to the form, the system of rollers being interposedto engage a zone of the form between the ink fipplying means and theimpression mem- \7 5. Inking apparatus for printing presses comprising,in combination, a printing form, an ink fountain having means forsupplying ink to said form, an impression member between which and theprinting form the sheet to be printed is run, a sun roller, anda s stemof rollers each having contact with the sun roller and certain of whichhave contact with the form whereby ink applied to the formfrom thefountain is transferred to the sun roller and is smoothed out by therollers engaging said sun roller, and returned to the form, the rollersof said s stem being each of dif ferent diameter fi 'om the others.

6. An inkin system comprising an ink fountain, a so cloth-covered rollerin the fountain, a printing cylinder in contact wlth the fountainroller, a transfer roller 1n contact with the cylinder, said cylinderrotating from the fountain roller towards the transfer roller, a sunroller in contact with the transfer roller, a plurality of die tributingrollers in contact with the sun rollennnd a; finishi roller in contactwith the sun roller and with the cylinderat'the transfer roller andworked upon the sun roller and carried back to the printing cylinderbythe finishing roller, all before. the

printing face reaches the impression roller."

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

, H: L. LENGEL.

Signed y

